Notation Workshops: Score and part preparation

Tuesday April 21st 2-4pm and Wednesday April 22nd 10-noon

Guest composer/copyist Dr. Matthew Van Brink will hold four hour-long workshops on score and part preparation here at UNLV. This event is open to all UNLV music students. Location is TBA.

The ability to create fantastic-looking scores is an invaluable resource in the composer’s toolkit. Immaculate scores and parts reduce ambiguities, make rehearsals more effective, and result in better performances and interpretations. Succeeding as a composer certainly requires more than just beautiful notation, but taking time to perfect a score can reap benefits for years. I have edited scores for several major music publishers, and I am a composer and performer myself. In my notation workshops, I bring these experiences to students. There are three possible formats for the workshop: 1) a multimedia lecture using scores by students in attendance, 2) a series of small-group one-hour lessons, or 3) a combination of both, in which the score improvement techniques are reinforced through a second encounter. The workshops are geared toward undergraduate and graduate composers, though advanced high school-age students would find it useful as well. Participating students should choose their best pieces, so that the improved, workshopped version will show their finest work in the finest light.